In a recent paper published in the journal Science, IBM
researchers describe a new milestone in nanotechnology: the ability to
measure the force required to move individual atoms. Their findings are
an important step for understanding what types of atoms are best suited
for building different kinds of nanoelectronic devices, based on how
strong or weak of a bond they can form on different surfaces.
The
ability to control atoms and move them around on a surface was first
discovered by an IBM researcher nearly 20 years ago -- an achievement
that has been hailed as the "Kittyhawk of Nanotechnology." But until
today, nobody has known the exact force required to move atoms on a
surface: an absolutely critical understanding if we are to build
Lilliputian computer chips and storage devices from the atom up.
The
problem is akin to what scientists and engineers needed to learn about
construction at macroscopic sizes many decades ago. For example,
building a modern bridge would be impossible without first measuring
the strength of different materials, understanding the relevant forces,
and comprehending how everything interacts. In the nanotechnology
realm, to make structures that you want to remain rigidly in place you
would use strongly bonded ("sticky") atoms while for groups of atoms
that need to move you would use atoms held in place only by weak
chemical bonds.
